Pring of stacked dished plates

ABSTRACT

Improvements in a spring made up of a multiplicity of stacked, curved plates attached to each other and supporting each other along opposite edges whereby the turning potential of the spring is decreased, which improvement comprises providing a bolt through a bore in each of the plate of the spring located between the center and an edge of each plate.

United States Patent Muhlhauser 51 Apr. 4, 1972 PRING OF STACKED DISHED PLATES Inventor: Otto Muhlhauser, Berhausen, Germany Assignee: Gesellschait Fur Kernforschung MBH,

Karlsruhe, Weberstasse, Germany Filed: July 17, 1970 Appl. No.: 55,932

Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 6, 1969 Germany..... ..P i9 40 012.5

U.S. Cl ..267/165 Int. Cl ..Fl6f 1/34 Field of Search ..267/165, 162, I59, I60, l6l,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,002,740 10/ 1961 Van Holst ..267/165 Primary Examiner-James B. Marbert Attorney-Burgess, Dinklage & Sprung [57} ABSTRACT Improvements in a spring made up of a multiplicity of stacked, curved plates attached to each other and supporting each other along opposite edges whereby the turning potential of the spring is decreased, which improvement comprises providing a bolt through a bore in each of the plate of the spring located between the center and an edge of each plate.

5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED 4 1972 IN V): NTQ R PRING OF STACKED DISHED PLATES U.S. patent application Ser. No. 764,366 filed Aug. 28, 1968 now US. Pat. No. 3,578,305 relates to a spring consisting of a stack of single dished plates supporting each other at the edges and having guide pieces in these points which correspond either to each other or to a support. The plates are subdivided into an even number of sectors with the dishing increasing from the center (saddle point) towards the edges, the dishings of adjacent sectors facing towards each other.

The invention relates to a particularly advantageous development of the spring according to the above-identified patent application and serves the purpose of creating a simple guiding system for the plates stacked so, that they are twisted relative to each other by one sector each.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by the plates having eccentric bores penetrated by a common guide bolt corresponding to the cross section of the bore. The bores may be shaped e.g., like slots, especially cross slots, penetrating through the center of the plate.

However, it is possible also to arrange the bores outside the center of the plate in the area of the neutral zone of normal stresses.

Stress conditions in a spring plate according to the principal patent are such that, under conditions of load, compressive stresses are generated at the outer edge of the plate and tensile stresses in the center of the plate, in addition to the uniformly distributed shear stresses. These normal stresses have a maximum compressive stress at the outer edge and move towards a maximum of the tensile stresses in the center of the plate. In between, there is an axis of zero stress, the neutral axis, which can be determined both by calculation and by experimentation.

If the guide bores are made, e.g., in circular symmetry to the saddle point along this neutral axis, this has the least influence on the stress distribution of the spring; on the other hand, this design also permits compact axial guiding of the bank of springs to protect such against turning.

The spring according to the invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the spring of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of one type of spring plate; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another type of spring plate.

Referring now to FIG. I, a bank of springs consisting of 10 octagonal spring plates 1 is shown. Each plate has two symmetrical bores 2 each disposed in the neutral zone 3 and each penetrated by two guide bolts 4. The guide bolts are fastened on a common spring bottom support 5.

Referring now to FIG. 2 shows the plan view of a spring plate 1 is shown with the two bores 2 in the neutral zone 3. Moreover, this FIG. shows the curve of the normal stresses 0' as a function of the disk radius r. As can be seen, there is a stress curve extending from a maximum compressive stress --a at the edge of the plate through the zero line in the area of the neutral axis 3 towards a maximum tensile stress +0 in the center of the plate.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a spring plate is shown with a cross-slot 6 as the guide bore. Instead of a cross slot, other non-circular bores, e.g., elliptical, bore passing through the center of the spring 1 may be used.

Iclaim:

1. In a spring consisting of a multiplicity of stacked curved plates each of which is attached to and supported by two opposite edges of the next adjacent plate, wherein each plate except the first and the last is attached to both the plates next adjacent thereto at alternating opposite edge pairs thereof; the improvement, whereby at least reducing the turning potential of said spring, which comprises bore means in the area between the center and the edge of said plates, which bore means are aligned in said plates, and bolt means disposed through said bore means stabilizing said stack of plates against turning.

2. A spring as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bore means have the shape of slots passing through the center of said late. p 3. A spring as claimed in claim 2 wherein said bore means @2 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 653 53 Dated April 4 1972 Otto Muhlhauser Inventor(s) 7 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet [72] "Berhausen, Germany" should read H Berghausen, Germany Column 2, line 17, after "spring" insert plate Signed and sealed this 27th day of February 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M .PLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. In a spring consisting of a multiplicity of stacked curved plates each of which is attached to and supported by two opposite edges of the next adjacent plate, wherein each plate except the first and the last is attached to both the plates next adjacent thereto at alternating opposite edge pairs thereof; the improvement, whereby at least reducing the turning potential of said spring, which comprises bore means in the area between the center and the edge of said plates, which bore means are aligned in said plates, and bolt means disposed through said bore means stabilizing said stack of plates against turning.
 2. A spring as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bore means have the shape of slots passing through the center of said plate.
 3. A spring as claimed in claim 2 wherein said bore means have the shape of cross slots passing through the center of said plate.
 4. A spring as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plates each have a stress-free neutral zone between the center and the edge thereof and wherein said bore means is disposed in at least two areas of said neutral zone.
 5. A spring as claimed in claim 4 wherein said bore means are arranged circular symmetrically about the saddle point of said plate in the neutral zone thereof. 